Can I delete photos from the MLS? (Effective 1/9/2023)

No. Photos shall not be removed from the MLS.

• MLS is a proprietary database, so the data is only accessible to MLS Participants and Subscribers. 
• Per Sections XI and 1.18.4 of the MLS Rules - Media is part of the listing data distributed to MLS members, and HiCentral MLS has the rights to retain the photos.
• When a listing has been sold, the MLS will only provide, and an IDX website will only display, the primary photo of the listing.

Rationale

Listing agents deleting photos immediately before the sale leads to less information being available to other users of the MLS for comps and research after the sale, which lessens the benefit of the MLS to all.

There is a difference between what is available to the public via the internet (IDX feeds) and what is visible in the MLS. To address potential privacy concerns, once a property has been sold, the MLS will distribute only the primary (first) photo of the property to external IDX websites. From that point, only MLS subscribers/participants will have access to the complete set of photos associated with the listing.

FAQ

Q) What if my Seller or Buyer requests listing photos be removed from public websites? 

Before changing the status to Sold, you can change the options in the Listing Visibility tab in Matrix Input.

• In the Syndication section:
  • "Allow this listing to be displayed outside the MLS across the Internet (IDX, VOW, etc.)?" needs to be flagged as No.
• Once this change is made in the MLS, the listing data (including all the media) will be removed from public websites within 24-48 hours, and this listing will be excluded from IDX feeds.

Q) What if I want to replace a photo I have on my listing with a current one? 

The keyword is "replace." If you replace a listing photo with another photo of the property, you continue to provide data and history for other MLS users.